To find out more about the podcast go to Painting: where art meets science.
Below is a short summary and detailed review of this podcast written by FutureFactual:
The Science of Pigments: Color Theory, Paint Chemistry, and Art Conservation
The Naked Scientist explores the science behind pigments, color, and painting, tracing color theory from its Newtonian roots to modern dye chemistry and the ethics of art conservation. Guests discuss pigment versus dye, binding media, solvents, and how imaging technologies reveal hidden layers in priceless works. The episode blends studio experimentation with museum science, highlighting copper supports, oil and acrylic media, and the careful decision-making that protects artworks for future generations.
Introduction: Color as a Bridge Between Art and Science
The episode opens by unpacking how artists mix color and how scientists understand light and pigment. It frames color as a property born from the interaction of light, material pigment, and the eye, with color theory guiding how artists choose and combine hues.
"colors are essentially already contained in white sunlight" — Phil Ball
Materials, Media and the Craft of Painting
Conversations move through the practicalities of painting media, including acrylics and oils, and the special case of copper supports that give a luminous, smooth surface. The host and guest highlight how binding media, pigments, and solvents form a three-part system that determines texture, drying, and sheen.
"the holy trinity there, which we've got something to give color, we've got something to bind them together and give a matrix... and a solvent to make everything flow nicely" — Narayan Kanakkar
Historical Chemistry: From Dyes to Modern Pigments
The discussion traces color history from early ad hoc discoveries to modern chemistry, noting the rise of synthetic dyes from coal tar and the late 19th century shift toward rational pigment design. It covers Prussian blue’s origins and the shift from ultramarine to cheaper blues, illustrating how chemistry and industry reshaped painting palettes.
"mixing light is not the same as mixing pigments" — Phil Ball
Conservation Science: Imaging, Ethics and Practice
Experts describe how museums analyze paintings with infrared imaging, X-ray, high-resolution photography, and macro XRF scanning to map pigments and uncover underdrawings. Ethical considerations govern when and how to alter a work, with decisions guided by stability, reversibility, and owner consent.
"we never do anything that the owner of a painting doesn't want us to do" — Christine Kimbrel
Studio Techniques and Creative Risk
Artist Nick Archer discusses risk-taking in the studio, mixing media, and experiments like using solvent to deliberately alter a wet painting, revealing layers and textures that echo time and decay. The conversation celebrates serendipity as part of creative process, balanced by a discipline rooted in material knowledge.
"sometimes it is a happy accident" — Nick Archer